Antonio Balaguer became tetraplegic nine years ago after diving into a swimming pool in Magaluf, during a birthday celebration. "I dived headfirst without my hands against the ground. I hit the bottom. I didn't break my nose, which is the most common thing in these cases. At that moment, I already knew I had become tetraplegic".

Menorca has defined its growth model over the past quarter-century. The Menorcan model, as it's known throughout the Balearic Islands, is based on the Territorial Plan (PTI), the first planning document that, back in 2003, set limits on tourism growth and aimed to shift away from the traditional sun and beach offering that had previously attracted the nascent tourism industry to the Balearic Islands. The earlier declaration of Menorca as a Biosphere Reserve in 1993 set the course, but it wasn't until the PTI, ten years later, that measures began to be taken to promote sustainable development. Urbanizations and new tourist developments on the coast were reclassified, and the focus shifted to quality growth rather than sheer numbers. A quarter of a century later, despite increasing saturation, the data bears this approach out. Today, 77% of Menorca's territory is protected, and the rate of growth, both in population and tourism, is slower than on the other islands.